| Many Eastern texts have sought to | | | | it power by trying to get rid of it. We |
| explain the "Perennial Philosophy" view | | | | see that it is our reaction to the |
| of reality. Here the author attempts it | | | | information that binds us and disturbs |
| using some concepts the ancients didn't | | | | us. Pleasant or unpleasant stuff has no |
| have, and discusses how two varieties of | | | | power as long as we remain detached and |
| Buddhist meditation can help us | | | | simply watch it arise and disappear on |
| internalize this view. | | | | its own. It is when we cling to the |
| The perennial philosophy "nondual" | | | | present, wanting it to continue or push |
| spiritual traditions (such as | | | | away the unpleasant, wanting it to |
| Nisargadatta's Vedanta, and Tibetan | | | | disappear, that we suffer and lose our |
| Buddhism's Dzogchen) hold that existence | | | | innate equanimity and freedom. Vipassana |
| involves a monistic, enduring, | | | | gives us many insights that we need if |
| unchanging, ABSOLUTE reality and a | | | | we are to understand how trapped we |
| dualistic, ephemeral, | | | | usually are in this relative realm. |
| constantly-changing RELATIVE reality. | | | | Although Vipassana does not introduce us |
| Through the practices that I describe in | | | | to the absolute, it is designed to help |
| my book TOWARD WISDOM, I too have come | | | | us see much that must be seen, and in my |
| to see that this is the way it is. | | | | view (and that of most Buddhist |
| Describing the situation in words has | | | | teachers) it is the place to start. We |
| always been tricky, but I found that | | | | first need to learn to quiet the mind |
| certain "information age" concepts | | | | and look with detachment at the relative |
| clarify the situation. | | | | reality into which we are heavily |
| The way I put it in a ZYGON paper and in | | | | immersed and identified. The Tibetan |
| Part 1 of my 2004 book MATTERS OF | | | | Buddhist practice of Dzogchen and the |
| CONSEQUENCE, the absolute reality, the | | | | Advaita Vedanta of Nisargadatta, on the |
| foundation of all that is, is a oneness | | | | other hand, seek to introduce us to the |
| that has both a physical aspect we call | | | | absolute. Yes, underlying the relative |
| energy, and a mental aspect we call | | | | world of mental information, and |
| awareness. Energy and awareness are | | | | allowing it to exist, is that enabling |
| carrier-like in nature. That is, they | | | | something we usually call awareness. It |
| can be shaped, or formed, or modulated | | | | is contentless, yet supportive of all |
| by information without their own nature | | | | content; informationless, yet supportive |
| being in any way changed. Although | | | | of an infinite variety of informational |
| informational modulation does not cause | | | | modulation. It is clear, transparent, |
| the intrinsic nature of energy-awareness | | | | not a thing. Other terms for it include: |
| to change, it does cause a relative | | | | - innate wakefulness |
| reality to arise. This relative reality | | | | - natural mindfulness |
| is a transient, insubstantial | | | | - primordial awareness |
| INFORMATIONAL reality. Physical reality | | | | - empty, luminous cognizance |
| is a relative world of information | | | | - everpresent, inherent, utterly |
| supported by the | | | | spacious openness |
| absolute-reality-carrier we call energy. | | | | - inexpressible beingness |
| Mental reality is a relative world of | | | | - isness |
| information, supported by the | | | | - one's own true nature |
| absolute-reality-carrier we call | | | | - rigpa (Tibetan for this reality) |
| awareness. | | | | - nondual awareness |
| The evolutionary process, with its pass | | | | - total presence |
| fail criteria of survival and | | | | - open presence |
| reproduction, designed the human brain | | | | - spontaneously present awareness |
| and its associated mentality with | | | | - the cognizing power of emptiness |
| survival and reproduction as primary | | | | - one's own innate wakefulness |
| considerations. The cognitive system | | | | In Dzogchen and Nisargadatta's practice |
| that evolution designed helps us to | | | | the aim is to become cognizant of this |
| understand relative reality because it | | | | absolute aspect of mind, and in some |
| is in this arena that the drama of | | | | sense to become it - to relax into it or |
| survival and reproduction is played out. | | | | identify with it and to view the |
| Human mentality was not designed to | | | | relative world of information from that |
| allow us to understand absolute reality | | | | vantage point. Awareness is |
| with ease because there was no survival | | | | noninformational, so it doesn't appear |
| or reproduction payoff in that. Now, in | | | | as the normal kind of mind content. Even |
| kinder, gentler circumstances, we want | | | | in meditation, the colors we see and the |
| to understand the deeper truth - | | | | bliss we feel are still part of the |
| absolute truth - and we find that very | | | | relative world of brain-generated |
| difficult. And why shouldn't it be | | | | information. Allowing us to sense those |
| difficult? We're trying to use the human | | | | colors and feel that bliss, however, is |
| cognizing system for a different | | | | this primordial awareness, this |
| purpose. It was designed to give us a | | | | cognizing power that belongs to the |
| handle on relative, informational truth, | | | | realm of absolute reality. Our deep true |
| the truth about the cosmic message; not | | | | nature is that primal awareness itself, |
| absolute truth, carrier-related truth, | | | | and not those things in the |
| the truth about the cosmic medium. | | | | informational, relative world that we |
| Spiritual practices are tools that give | | | | take to be our selves. The problem is |
| us some hope of seeing through the | | | | that mental information, mind content, |
| relative to the absolute. Vipassana | | | | is so powerful and overwhelming, and our |
| meditation is a practice that gives us a | | | | identification with it so tenacious, |
| better handle on the nature of relative | | | | that letting go of our identification as |
| reality. We watch, with as much | | | | a thought-dominated person and |
| detachment as we can muster, the | | | | surrendering into our true nature - into |
| informational show that the brain | | | | our own innate wakefulness - does not |
| generates. Despite our best efforts, | | | | happen easily. The detachment we develop |
| however, we frequently get lost in that | | | | in Vipassana readies us for this. Then, |
| show - we lose that sense of detachment | | | | (as I see it) at some point it makes |
| from it. Experiencing both detachment | | | | sense to switch to one of the |
| and lost-in-the-showness, we eventually | | | | absolute-reality practices. |
| come to realize that this | | | | In one sense, the difference between |
| lost-in-the-show state is where we spend | | | | Dzogchen and Vipassana is quite subtle. |
| most of our lives. The normal human | | | | In both practices the informational |
| condition is to be identified with | | | | arisings in the mind are watched with |
| informational patterns, with the | | | | detachment. The difference is that in |
| relative reality that the brain creates. | | | | Dzogchen and other nondual practices one |
| In Vipassana we are still paying | | | | is also cognizant of the underlying |
| attention to the relative, but because | | | | ground or carrier of that information - |
| we are more detached from it than | | | | that "primordial awareness," that |
| before, gradually, bit by bit, insight | | | | "utterly spacious openness," that |
| by insight, we begin to see the nature | | | | "empty, luminous cognizance." It |
| of relative reality. We begin to see the | | | | remains, enduring and pure, unaffected |
| impersonal nature of the brain's | | | | by the coming and going of the |
| churning out of information. There is no | | | | modulating forces applied to it. Primal |
| "I" that is doing it. It just happens | | | | awareness watches the show of relative |
| mechanically, automatically. We also | | | | reality. And that pure contentless |
| discover that the informational stuff | | | | awareness is the true me. I can choose |
| that arises has no inherent power. With | | | | to participate in the show at any time, |
| practice we learn that it's possible to | | | | but I am not OF that show. I am OF the |
| watch even physical discomfort and heavy | | | | realm of absoluteness. That is my true |
| emotions such as fear and anger without | | | | home, and my refuge from domination and |
| suffering when we accept that | | | | control by mental information. |
| informational reality and refuse to give | | | | |